Uber Technologies Inc has hired a law firm to investigate how it
obtained the medical records of an Indian woman who was raped by an Uber
driver in 2014. The review will focus in part on accusations from some
current and former employees that bribes were involved, two people
familiar with the matter told Reuters.

The law firm O'Melveny & Myers LLP, which is in the early stages of
the probe, was hired by the ride service after employees gave
contradictory accounts of how Uber obtained the medical records, one of
the people said.

The firm is also exploring whether former Chief Executive Travis
Kalanick knew how Uber came into possession of the records, the person
added.

Kalanick through a spokesman declined to comment. Uber also declined to
comment, and O'Melveny & Myers did not respond to a request for
comment. Members of Uber's board were briefed about the investigation in
recent days, shortly before five major Uber investors sent a letter to
Kalanick to demand his resignation, said the person. The probe was
likely one reason the board turned against Kalanick, who stepped down on
Tuesday, the first person said.

The investigation is ongoing and has not reached any conclusions on
whether Uber improperly obtained the records. Reuters has no evidence
that bribery occurred.

The rape victim sued Uber last week, accusing the ride service operator
of improperly obtaining and sharing her medical records. The suit said
that shortly after the rape occurred, former Uber Asia chief Eric
Alexander "met with Delhi police and intentionally obtained plaintiff's
confidential medical records."

Alexander, through spokeswoman Heather Wilson, denied paying any bribes
and said that the files containing the victim's records had been
obtained through appropriate, legal methods.

A Delhi police spokesman did not answer multiple phone calls from Reuters to seek comment. The rapist was convicted in 2015.

According to a person familiar with conversations between Kalanick and
Alexander, the two executives had discussed obtaining the victim's
records because they suspected the rape might have been fabricated by an
Uber rival to damage the company.

Another person said Alexander showed the medical files to colleagues in New Delhi more than once.
Wilson denied that Alexander had discussed or shared the records with
colleagues. She said that Alexander believed the victim was raped and
never expressed the view that it was a set up. Uber fired Alexander
earlier this month.

Kalanick, 40, announced late on Tuesday that he was resigning as chief
executive, though he would remain on the board of Uber. He said he had
accepted "the investors' request to step aside so that Uber can go back
to building rather than be distracted with another fight."

Privately held Uber has grown from startup to a global ride service
valued at $68 billion in less than a decade, driven by Kalanick, who set
the tone of a company that challenged laws and norms to succeed.

Confidence in Kalanick had been strained this year by claims of sexual
harassment in the company and a lawsuit accusing Uber of benefiting from
trade secrets stolen from self-driving car technology from Alphabet
Inc's Waymo.

(Reporting by Joseph Menn and Heather Somerville in San Francisco, and
Aditya Kalra in New Delhi; Additional reporting by Dan Levine; Writing
by Peter Henderson; Editing by Tiffany Wu and Edward Tobin)